We are passionate about delivering the ultimate client experience, one client at a time.

Buying Real Estate: The Home Buying Process

Select a REALTOR®

To guide you through the process.

Arange Financing to Determine What You Can Afford

Before you start looking it's important to know what you can afford. By knowing this you will save time by eliminating those homes out of your price range and will help you narrow your search by clarifying neighbourhood and type of home. If you require financing it's crucial you obtain a mortgage pre-approval as soon as possible. The two main reasons are:

When you are pre-approved, your interest rate is locked-in at today's interest rate. If rates rise tomorrow, you are not affected by this increase because you are locked-in.

Competing offers are a common occurrence on well valued real estate. Imagine you have found your dream home. You decide you would like to write an offer. We then find out another buyer is interested and you'll be competing with another offer. You will be in a much stronger negotiating position if your financing has already been arranged.

There are a number of factors to consider when obtaining a mortgage pre-approval:

What type of mortgage is best for you?

What should the amount of the down payment be?

Are you eligible for an RRSP homebuyer withdrawal?

There may be a fee for the mortgage application and an appraisal fee

Documents needed to secure a mortgage include:

A copy of the real estate listing of the property OR for a new home, the builders plans, lot size and location

A copy of the offer to purchase

Documents confirming employment, income and source of pre-approval

What Kind Of Home Are You Looking For?

Once you've determined what you can afford, it is important to decide on your wants and needs when looking for your perfect home - thus enabling us to narrow the search and focus on finding the right home for you.

Choose Your Neighbourhood

When considering which neighbourhoods to look in, the following factors should be considered:

How long will your commute to work be? Will you need to be near public transit?

Do you prefer an older community with mature trees and character, or would you rather live in a newer community?

Will you need to be located near schools or specific facilities?

What other amenities would you like nearby? Beaches, parks, shopping?

Are you too far from family and friends? Or too close?

The Home's Exterior

Although you will spend most of your time inside, the exterior is what will end up costing you the most money if something goes wrong. Keep an eye out for:

The age and type of roof.

Old pipes or electrical that may need replacing.

Water damage.

Evidence of termites or rot.

The Home's Interior

During your home search, keep both aesthetics and function in mind. You already know how many bedrooms and bathrooms you would like, but also ask yourself the following questions:

Do you prefer an open floorplan or for the rooms to be separate for more privacy?

How much cabinet space do you need in the kitchen, and do you need an area for a kitchen table?

Do you like big bedrooms or would you prefer more living space?

How much storage space do you need, and how many parking stalls?

Do you need an outdoor area such as a patio, deck or balcony?

Condominiums

There are several factors that will influence your decision when purchasing a condo, such as:

How much money is in the contingency reserve fund for expenses such as repairs, maintenance and decorating?

Are rentals allowed, and if so, how many rental units are permitted at one time? How many units are currently being rented out?

Are pets allowed? How many and what type?

Have any special assessments been decided upon or have any structural problems been noted that will lead to an assessment in the future?

Make sure you read the Strata Council Minutes and the Minutes from the Annual General Meetings, as well as the financial statements, bylaws and rules and regulations for at least the past two years.

It's Time To Make An Offer

After you've seen several homes and found one that feels like the right home for you, it's time to make an offer. There are several things to consider, so make sure you communicate everything you want in the offer to your agent.

Price

Have your REALTOR® do a comparative market analysis for you. That will show you the fair market value of the property. The following factors could affect your offer price:

Property condition

New home improvements

Market conditions (supply and demand)

Seller's motivation

Seller concessions - do you want them to give you a carpet allowance or are you asking them to help you with closing costs? If you are - expect to pay a little more!

Deposit

You will be putting up some money to show the seller you are sincere about purchasing his home. Your agent can give you guidelines for how much this should be.

Financing

You will probably need to get a mortgage. Even if you have been preapproved, the lender will still need time to have the appraisal done, order title, etc. Your agent can advise you as to how much time you need.

Multiple Offers

It doesn't have to be a 'hot' market for a seller to have the luxury of choosing between multiple offers on their property. If you find yourself in a multiple offer situation, don't panic and don't withdraw your offer - you may be the highest bidder and won't even know it if you pull out. Go through at least one round of negotiations before you decide to withdraw. Have a price in your mind of where you want to go, and stay in the game until that price has been reached. Too many buyers lose the property by pulling out too soon.

From Offer To Closing

Once your offer has been presented to the seller the negotiating process begins. There are liable to be numerous counter-offers going back and forth between you and the seller. There are a few important things to remember:

Your offer is just that - an offer - until it has been accepted and agreed to by both you and the seller. At any time during the negotiating process another offer could materialize - thus creating a multiple offer situation. A seller is free to accept whichever offer they prefer. A wise buyer will try to come to an agreement with the seller in a reasonably short period of time.

Many contracts have stipulations on when the buyer must make his mortgage application. Please be sure to check your contract and abide by its requirements.

If your contract calls for a home inspection, please select your home inspector as soon as possible and let your agent know who they are. Your service providers have a limited amount of time to protect your interest.

Be sure to comply with all requests of your lender after the mortgage application has been done. Not producing the documents or information they need could jeopardize you getting your mortgage on time.

Generally, the buyer accompanies the home inspector at the inspection. Please allow at least 2 to 3 hours for an average inspection. More time may be necessary for a large home.

Your agent will act as coordinator for all activities from this point and will keep everyone in the loop as far as what is going on.

If necessary your agent and your attorney will work together to negotiate any repairs that were noted during the home inspection. Remember, routine maintenance items are not the type of thing that should be noted and negotiated.

Your walk through (typically on new homes) will be scheduled as per your sales contract. Your agent will schedule this with you, the seller and the listing agent. It should happen just prior to the closing.

If all of this sounds a little overwhelming - don't worry - you're in good hands. Your agent has been through this many times and will be there for you during the entire process. Relax and enjoy the experience.

HAVE A QUESTION?

The data relating to real estate on this website comes in part from the MLS® Reciprocity program of either the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) or the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board (CADREB). Real estate listings held by participating real estate firms are marked with the MLS® logo and detailed information about the listing includes the name of the listing agent. This representation is based in whole or part on data generated by either the REBGV, the FVREB or the CADREB which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy. The materials contained on this page may not be reproduced without the express written consent of either the REBGV, the FVREB or the CADREB.